NIMHANS to train K'taka cops in psychological first aid

The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) is all set to offer ground-level psychological first aid to the Karnataka State Police and their family members.

As part of the programme, NIMHANS will initially pick a few staff members from the department and train them in psychosocial first aid. These trained staff would, in turn, reach out to all the other police in the department and understand their issues.

Addressing the media in the city on Saturday, NIMHANS Registrar Dr K Sekar said that the training had seen a positive response in Tamil Nadu and the same would be replicated in Karnataka. "We are yet to discuss the final budget," he added.

NIMHANS had offered a five-day training to 450 members of the department. They have, in turn, been speaking with one lakh police personnel and three lakh members from their families to see if interventions are needed. "They have one of the most stressful jobs. There is a need to show them empathy and give them some ventilation space. The programme aims at doing that and sensitising people in the department," he added.

Dr Ravi said that so far, on every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, these 450 trainers have reached out to police and their families, covering 52,000 of them in Tamil Nadu.

"When the 450 met, they said that 40 % spoke about suicide. Four such were averted in the last minute with the interventions of the staff we trained. The programme looks into smaller aspects such as knowing people by the name and not just their badge numbers," said Dr Ravi.

Convocation

NIMHANS will be hosting its 24th convocation on September 16 with Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan presiding over the event. 176 postgraduates will be given their certificates while 14 will be given meritorious awards.

This year onwards, all exit exams at NIMHANS would go completely digital. There has also been an increase in the number of seats. 37 seats for MD psychiatry have been added in the north-eastern districts. Besides, 10 seats in DM neurology and other specialities have also been added.